


Any Better Than This

by mynameispiaivy



Series: Soulmates Series [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 4 years after LARRY first met in a Script concert, Happy Ending, I promise, Idiots in Love, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings, Soulmates, from one of them or both?, they get it in the end, yes..they met at the Script concert not at XF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21536923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameispiaivy/pseuds/mynameispiaivy
Summary: The thing about having a soulmate is that you can’t hide anything from them. You simply can’t.*********This is a story about proposals or something like that. Harry and Louis? they'll get it in the end, I promise.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Series: Soulmates Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587226
Comments: 10
Kudos: 60
Collections: 28 Proposals Fic Fest





	Any Better Than This

The thing about having a soulmate is that you can’t hide anything from them. You simply can’t. 

Sometimes you try to make a grand gesture, like booking a room in Plaza Athenee the day after your band’s gig at the Stade de France, where you thought using your sister’s credit card would not alert your boyfriend in any way. Though everything got ruined when your good ol’ sister, Gemma, called while you and your partner were watching Friends on Netflix and yelled about mysterious charges from her account for a two-night stay in a luxurious suite that cost more than three thousand pounds. Harry sadly remembered Louis, turning off the television and without batting an eye say, “You booked us a hotel in the middle of the tour? You dumb ass.”

Another failed grand gesture was when you secretly asked a friend who works at the RSPCA for help with adopting a Lhasa Apso puppy that Louis couldn't stop cooing over on Instagram. The puppy was found in a cardboard box, apparently left abandoned at the parking lot in Hyde Park. You spend hours on the phone with Emmett trying to keep it under wraps but when you step into the house with the puppy, you find that Louis had already bought all the dog supplies they would need, including an expensive doggy bed from Pet Kingdom and food and water bowls engraved with Louis' already-picked-out name.

Two years after that, Harry accidentally let their dog, Chewie, eat chicken which she was horribly allergic to and had made her shed almost half of her fur in a week’s time. It started as a late night craving on Louis’ part. They just came home from an eleven-hour flight from LAX to Heathrow, and Louis was being cranky and wanted, no, scratch that, demanded chicken, not from Nando’s but from KFC. Who was Harry not to indulge his poor boyfriend’s late night cravings? One can only take as much whining and pouting from a very cranky and tired Louis. Also, he was promised a blowjob and Harry is a weak man. A very weak man who is not opposed to blowjobs and KFC. 

Chewie was being her usual sneaky self that night. Harry wishes he could say she was a good girl, very docile, calm and sweet little puppy. The moment he opened the door for the delivery guy, Chewie would not stop sniffing the bags and began following him like a hawk trying to steal the deep fried, very aromatic, extremely oily, crispy chicken. Harry placed the bags on top of their kitchen table and turned away for a couple of seconds to get some plates from the cupboard, when he heard a loud thump. She purposefully jumped onto the table and quickly flipped one of the lids of the food container open and took a large bite of the drumstick, yanking it out from the container. Harry rushed to catch her, just as she jumped down from the kitchen table and started running to the living room. Harry knew he wasn't a well coordinated person, stumbling and bumping into random items in their house as he clumsily chased Chewie to the living room. The little rascal knew to swerve and duck her tiny head whenever his hands were inches away from snagging the drumstick from her small mouth. _God damn it, Chewie! Why the fuck are you so fast?_

Harry finally caught Chewie after several minutes of running around their living room and begging her to come to him. Harry was almost in tears when Chewie eventually dropped the drumstick to the floor and jumped in his arms. Harry had to put his index finger down their baby’s throat, to try to make the dog puke out the chunks of chicken she just swallowed. Chewie did spew out bits and pieces of meat, but Harry was sure that there were a lot more left with the evident huge bite marks from the discarded chicken leg that he hastily threw out from their opened window when he heard Louis closing the door of their bedroom. Harry was carrying Chewie in his arms, her tail wagging excitedly when Louis walked in on them, hair still wet from the shower he just took. Louis went to them, sitting beside him on the floor, one hand thrown over Harry’s shoulder while the other is caressing their wayward child’s forehead. Harry didn’t know if he should start weeping from the absurdity of the situation, that Louis was oblivious of the fact that he was about to lose his mind moments earlier because of their menace of a child and his boyfriend was just witnessing a sweet, tender moment between a father and daughter. 

It took Louis exactly ten seconds to know there’s something wrong. He began tsk-ing and pulled Chewie out from his arms. He held her, tucked his arm under Chewie’s bottom and cradled her to his chest. Louis was looking at her sweet face when she sniffed his face, “Call Dr. Singh. We’ve got to get him do an emergency house call for us. Jesus, Harry, what were you thinking giving Chewie chicken?” 

Harry cried that night, out of sheer frustration and happiness. He had called the vet at half past eleven and agreed to see Chewie early the next day. He also got a blowjob from Louis, who took pity on him when he started babbling that it wasn’t his fault Chewie ate chicken, that it was a complete accident. Harry felt boneless, his hunger long forgotten when Louis sucked the life out of him. The next morning, he was awaken by a very playful Chewie, who found her way on top of the bed and began licking his face with her mouth still smelling of KFC. Louis was beside him, smiling at the sight of them. 

This is Harry’s life with his soulmate and he couldn't be happier.

  
  
  


*********

  
  


“Honey, I think we should probably get the family to Jamaica for a holiday. Lottie and the girls have been asking for a trip since the tour ended two weeks ago.”

Harry’s eyes almost popped out from their sockets. He had been planning a holiday with Louis’ and his family even before the tour ended. There is already a date set for it, he made sure to check when the girls' schools will end and asked Gemma to file in her paid time off from the publishing firm. Jay and his mom even helped him picked the resort where they can all stay in, making sure every bungalow is right beside each other. The boys even agreed on making a short trip with them since he announced he purchased a ring. The RING, which is now perfectly hidden somewhere Louis will not ever find out. 

Not that he never tried to move it every other day, just because he sees Louis sporadically opening drawers and boxes in every opportunity that he is in the house, like he is in search of something. Harry is always on high alert whenever he notices Louis going inside the bedroom, or the laundry room, or the garage. Wait. _Shit._ The GARAGE. He was hiding the ring inside the storage container where the gift wrappers and ribbons are. Wait a minute, why would Louis open the gift wrapping box? Christmas just passed, and so did the new year. That leaves... Harry's birthday. 

“Lou, where are you?” He practically runs to their garage, Chewie sprinting along with him making barking noises along the way. “Louis? Loou!”

As he rounds the corner, he sees Louis holding the green plastic storage box, the actual container where he hid the RING.”What are you doing in here?”

Louis’ bright blue eyes look at his terrified green ones with pure mirth and playfulness. “Am I not allowed to be here? In my own garage, where three of our cars are blissfully parked and where all the unnecessary junk we have are stored in these boxes? Huh, didn’t even know we had so much Christmas wrappers, love.”

Harry surges forward, tripping carelessly from his own feet and grabs hold of Louis’ biceps, “Baby, uhm. Yeah, we used to buy them in bulk because of your family. You know how many siblings you have. We can never have too much wrapping paper, to be honest.” He nervously laughs. His hands inches slowly at the bottom of the plastic box, hooks his fingers at the edges and pulls it towards himself. “Let me take care of this for you, Lou. I mean, this is heavy stuff, babe. I know you don’t like lifting weights.”

There is always an upside with having a rambunctious pet. Chewie can serve as a welcome distraction to any salacious, discrete movement Harry would like to do to keep Louis’ attention away. Easy peasy, right? Harry could casually get the box out of Louis’ hands, put it on top of the work table, make sure his boyfriend will not notice his hand dipping inside the container at the exact location where he had hidden the ring. He is already devising a plan in his mind when his hands got a hold of the box from Louis. But the thing is, their usual boisterous child is sitting calmly on Louis’ feet, tail wagging as she looks at them prettily with her upturned face, waiting for some acknowledgement from either of them. Typically, Harry would be shushing her whenever she would jump from one furniture to the other, or would whine at any opportunity so they would pet her or give her a treat. This time though, here she is being placid as fuck. God damn it.

“Lou, can you.. Uhm get Chewie for a bit. I think she may need a walk or something.” He angles his body away from Louis, keeping the box close to his chest. “I’ll take care of this, babe.”

Louis follows his movement, lips twitching upward, “Oh, sure thing, Harold.” He walks past him and retrieves the leash hanging on the wall right beside his bike. Chewie at this moment starts excitedly jumping up and down while waiting, her huge eyes fixed on Louis. He sees Louis fastening the leash on Chewie’s collar, making her more excited, loopy to the point of dragging Louis. She does her victory lap towards the open garage door, pulling his poor boyfriend to their driveway, as if she just won a marathon.

“Chewie! Relax, girl.” She just stops midway into a frenzied sprint, then yelps at Louis. He sees Louis look at their dog and smile, “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Just for a short walk, baby. We are going once around the block, alright?” Louis turns around toward Harry, “Okay, our girl wants a walk. You gonna be okay here?”

“Yeah, honey. Take your time.” Harry nods his head and waves at them.

Not four seconds later, Harry goes to their driveway to make sure Louis and Chewie have reached around the bend, then he rushes back inside to make sure his boyfriend wouldn't find the ring in the box. He curls his hand at the bottom of the container and gets a hold of the blue suede box. _Gotcha!_ Harry slips the box into the pocket of his black joggers and goes back inside the house. He scans the whole house, trying to figure out which room Louis would have no such disposition of going to. Harry’s thoughts goes to their bedroom. Nope, not a good hiding place. He figures their music room would be a better alternative, but then Louis has been in a bit of a mood lately, calling Liam for all-nighter sessions, playing around their piano or strumming his guitar whenever a certain melody comes into mind. Again, not a good idea. Harry racks his mind, there has to be a place inside their house that he could securely hide the ring and be certain Louis would not find it. He pulls at the short ends at the back of his neck, tugging to the point that his head was angled to the ceiling. 

Harry takes a deep breath and presses the pads of his palms to his eyes. It was disconcerting how much they knew each other. Harry wants this to be special, a wonderfully crafted surprise for his beloved. His body was moving on its own accord, feet leading him to a place inside their home which he finds solace the most. When he takes his hands off his face, he found that he was already inside their kitchen. The Kitchen. _Perfect._

Harry starts opening their cupboards, clearly he and Louis loved hoarding items in their house that he starts to count them unconsciously. In their kitchen alone, they have twelve milk glass-lined upper cabinets, excluding the huge drawer at the bottom of their marble-top kitchen counter, totaling to thirteen. _Thirteen._ Harry is certain, Louis will not rummage through all of these whenever he is inside the kitchen. His first instinct tells him to put the ring in the highest cabinet where Louis would not possibly reach it, but then again, Louis is a very resourceful person. He once bought himself a black BEKVÄM three-step stool from IKEA which works perfectly in their black and white, minimalist aesthetic that he claims give a timeless and chic look. Harry pulls one of the deep brown leather-upholstered bar stools that are situated on one side of their custom made black and white kitchen island and slumps on it, his upper body thrown on top of the table’s surface. He folds his arms over it, his head scrunched in the nook of his bent elbows. 

At the crease of his left arm, Harry notices a small gap in between the marble top of the kitchen counter and one of its panels. It extends from the top to the bottom of the table, too discreet to be noticed right away. Harry stands up and inserts his right hand into the gap and twisted it. He approximates the space to be about three inches in width, five inches in depth. His hand instinctively goes inside his pocket and brings out the blue suede box. Harry carefully wraps the box with a paper towel and nudges it inside the space. It wasn’t a perfect fit and he had to get another paper towel to not have the box suddenly fall to the ground because of the minute extra space. Harry walks a few steps away from the counter, making sure the box is hidden and secure in his secret hiding place. 

Just as he was about to celebrate finding the most perfect niche spot for the ring, he hears Chewie barking from the hallway, her small hurried feet springs towards him in bounding steps. Harry bends and catches her as she leaps into his arms, Chewie’s tongue licking his chin. He starts laughing and loses balance, falling with the dog to the floor. 

“She made some friends while we were walking back home. I didn’t know Mr. Beaumont has dogs? He has a couple of french bulldogs, a male and female," Louis says as he walks into the kitchen. "Chewie kept on hovering above the female one, Esmeralda. I think our baby’s in love, H. She kept on sniffing Esme’s arse, I think I even saw her lick it at some point. Poor Phoebus.”

“Who’s Phoebus?” Harry asks from the floor.

“Oh, the male frenchie. The poor dog tried to block Chewie, then she snarled at him. He practically rolled onto his back and whimpered at Chewie, Harold. Like our baby is his Alpha!” 

Harry sits up, Chewie scampering away from his embrace then jumps back on his lap. He turns her to her back and starts tickling her tummy, “Aww, you don’t like Phoebus, choochoo?” 

Chewie starts nipping on his hands, making tiny snapping bites on his fingers. When she finally gets one of Harry's fingers into her mouth, she begins to pull it, shaking her head from side to side. _Ouch._ Harry pulls his finger out her mouth and surveys the skin where she bit. It wasn’t exactly a firm bite, but her tiny teeth left distinct dents on his finger, but not breaking the skin. 

“Okay, baby. You’ve had enough fun for the afternoon. Lou, can you…”

Harry turns his head to where he last saw Louis, but instead sees an abandoned pair of Adidas trainers on the floor. He whips his head to the other direction and see his boyfriend casually sitting on top of the kitchen counter, his legs swinging back and forth, at the exact location where the rogue space on the counter can be found. There was a slick smile on Louis’ face, a small dimple noticeable on his left cheek that is cute and also alarmingly concerning Harry. 

“Lou, can you... Uhm, take Chewie and give her a bath, babe?”

“Oh, aren’t I the one who took her for a stroll? I think it’s your turn to give our child a bath.”

“But I have to prep for dinner, honey. And look, you’re already sweaty and all from the walk. Maybe the two of you can have a father-daughter bonding time in the tub, hmm?” 

Louis stares at him for a moment, eyes narrowing in suspicion. He tilts his head to the side, rolls his shoulders, and places his hands on top of the counter top before jumping to the floor, his feet making a thudding sound on the floor as he lands. Louis tosses his fringe off his face and says, “You know what, Harry…" then scoops Chewie up, “This weird vibe I’m getting from you of late…” he then brushes his lips on Harry’s right ear, his voice low “It won’t take me long to figure out what’s going on. Even if you don’t tell me, I’m sure I’ll get it from somebody. I'll have you figured out before you know it, mister. You can’t hide anything from me.” He licks his lobe, sending tingling sensations down Harry's body.

Harry shivers, both from arousal and anxiety. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Louis,” he glances at Louis, making his face as neutral as possible, but failing. Louis' face, however, contorts to a somewhat mocking expression, eyes squinting, one eyebrow raised and his mouth pursed tight. Harry’s resolve begins to crumble, his eyes probably looks crazed now, notwithstanding the intense stare Louis is giving him. 

One side of Louis’ lips turns upward, not giving him a full grin. With an impassive face, Louis brushed his lips to his cheek, his voice remaining apathetic when he says, “I’ll give you today, babe,” slightly bumping his shoulders then walks briskly towards their bedroom, with Chewie in his arms. He turns to Harry just as he was about to enter the room, then gave him the most menacing look. “Just today.”

  
  
  


*********

  
  
  


The cool water lapped at the limestone cliffs, fizzing and bubbling like brine. It seemed that the time elapsed as the sun beats down on his back, which is well-lathered with sunscreen by Daisy moments before she jumped in the ocean with her twin. Harry could hear the waves rolling down, crashing onto the shore with a soft hiss, as it touched the surface of the sand. He stretched both his arms and legs on the cushioned chaise lounge chair, his legs almost dangling from the bottom.

It had been two days since their families arrived to the private enclave right next to the Negril Lighthouse. No prying eyes from the paparazzi, the only contact from civilization is via the secured WiFi that is given only to the guests of the establishment. There wasn’t even a television set in any of the rooms. Louis, being the good big brother that he was, brought a few books and a couple of board games for the kids. The Tomlinsons and Styles would have to do with the scarce entertainment that they had for the next week and a half. _Tomlinsons and Styles._ Hmm, well, actually it was going to be Tomlinson-Styles, or is it Styles-Tomlinson? He needed to have a talk with Louis about this after he properly proposed to him in front of their family and friends. 

Harry has got it all planned out. He will have Chewie bring the ring to Louis while they are having a nice intimate dinner at the beach front. Food that was already well crafted weeks before the trip, with the help of their mothers, making double, even triple-checks on the menus and wine selections for the event. The kids will only have freshly prepared fruit juices, while the adults can have as much alcohol as they can muster for the evening. He snickered to himself as he his thoughts drifted to the customized dog collar he ordered from Tiffany and Company a few weeks ago. Harry had talked to Antonio, the very skilled jewelry designer at Tiffany’s, who made him a few sketches before he agreed on the small sterling silver charm at the front of the collar, bearing their initials H and L. He told Harry that the small ornament can be opened like a locket and secured enough to hold the ring. _The Ring._ The mere mention of it makes him smile. He had waited for the perfect time to propose to Louis. And everything needs to be perfect.

There were several times when Harry had put the collar on Chewie with the ring inside of it, asking her, actually begging her to keep still for a few minutes. But oftentimes, his nerves got to him, worried that the ring will be lost or worse, Chewie accidentally swallowing it. They practiced, with the collar around her neck, him walking beside her, the ring inside the charm. But she kept on stopping after a couple steps, looking back at him, then starts whimpering at his feet, asking him to carry her. The best that he could think of is to put Chewie in his arms as he professes his love for Louis, open the locket in front of him, then give him the ring. Yup, that would work. That’s his big plan right there.

On the fourth day of their vacation, Anne, Gemma and Jay approached Harry, told him that everything was set, that all arrangements have been made, and what was left for him to do is propose and not fuck it up. He hugged them all, but not before he gets a punch on the arm from Gemma. Harry telling her, it was rude of her to subject him to such treatment. She was here for support and not give him further anxiety. 

Anne hugged him and whispered in his ear, “You’ve got this. It's perfectly fine to be nervous, we’re not expecting everything to be perfect.” She held his face with her hands and continued, “You finding Louis as your soulmate is already a happy circumstance, whatever happens next is just the universe trying to tease you, to make you remember what you two have together. Don’t stress baby, for all we know, Louis maybe nervous too.”

“I hope he says yes.”

Jay held his hand and said, “There’s no reason for him to say no, Harry. You make my son happy everyday. There’s no instant that I doubted how you loved Louis, how certain I am that you would take care of him and his heart. Honestly, I would whack his head if he says he wouldn’t marry you.”

They all held hands for a few more minutes until they saw Louis walking towards them, all his siblings in tow. Gemma joining Mischal who was walking behind the group, picnic baskets on hand. 

Louis smiled at them and asked, “What’s this secret assembly that I wasn't invited to? Are you lot conspiring anything illegal?”

“Okay, yeah, you caught us. We’re actually planning a heist.”

“What, to steal some of the twins seashells collection?” 

“No, you wanker. I wouldn’t attempt to get any of those from them, for heaven’s sake. Phoebe almost cut my finger off when I saw her prying the shells off from the reefs, thinking I was going to steal her pearls. It wasn’t even a proper oyster, Louis. It was some sort of albino mollusks that clung on the rocks.”

Harry felt somebody poking him his side, making him laugh and squirm to the touch. Daisy held her face up to him, pursing her pink lips. “I’ve got my eye on you, Harry. You’ll never know where we hid them jewels. Louis told me you like hiding stuff.” Louis perched down and whispered in her ear, “I am better at hiding stuff from you, mister. I know all your secrets.”

  
“Louis!” he exclaimed, “What is she talking about?”

“Hmm,” Louis stood up, encircling his hands to both of the twins wrists. He tipped his head to the side, a Cheshire grin spreading across his face, “Whatever is she talking about?” then walked past him and their moms toward the beach.

  
  


Jamaica was becoming a picture of home to Harry, as he looked upon the familiar faces milling about the shore. All the children were running to and fro in every direction, building sand castles and sculptures then abandons them later to swim in the water. A few adults laid on the beach getting their perfect tan, with a drink on their hands. He found Louis with their mothers chatting whilst sitting in the cabana, drinking their mimosas. As if on cue, Louis turned his head to where he was standing and gave him a small smile. Harry's heart skipped a bit with that single look, that lopsided smile Louis just gave him. He shyly looked down, felt his ears burning, not with the sunlight, but the mere fact that he was caught staring. Harry brought his gaze back to Louis and found him still smiling at him. He gave him a curt nod then waved his hand. Louis laughed at him gaining the attention from their mothers. Anne called out to him, asked him to join them. But he waved her off and continued walking by the shore but not before looking back at Louis. The moment their eyes met, Louis knew Harry needed time alone with himself, that he would like to have his thoughts together, that him being alone at the time being would give him peace. Louis winked at him and urged their mothers to continue with their conversation. 

The waves began splashing playfully at his feet, the ocean breeze placing salty kisses on his skin, tousling his already unruly hair. He honestly couldn't care less what he looks like at the moment, all that he could think about is how much joy it is to see all the people that matters to him… and to Louis right before his eyes. Everyone who is with them now brought him so much sweetness and happiness, and Harry wouldn't ask for anything more.

As dawn approaches, Harry found himself inside the confines of their bungalow, picking on the hems of his white shirt. He can’t decide what to wear, his brain not being able to find the perfect shirt for a perfect night. Harry first tried the pink button up shirt with his beige capri shorts, took it off thinking it was way too casual for what is about to transpire. He then brought out his floral shirt from his suitcase together with his white chinos. The print was making him dizzy, the longer he looked at it in front of the mirror. Both garments were taken off a few seconds later, his hands gravitating to the white dress shirt that he happens to grab last minute before they left their London home. Harry was wearing his most comfortable jeans, the jeans that Louis and he actually bought a few months after they’ve met. It’s a little bit snug, to be honest, but the way it hugged his pert ass and legs never fails to have Louis looked at him like he is some sort of snack. And he likes being devoured by Louis, every inch of him for Louis to taste and enjoy avidly. He settled on the look, this relaxed, easy look for the evening. As if by wearing this outfit would ease his anxiety away. Harry did the final step and called on Chewie. She came trotting to him, her tail wagging excitedly. The dog came closer to him, he stretched his hand and scooped her in his arms. Chewie sniffed him then licked his face, “Oh, kisses. Thank you baby. Are you ready, sweetie? We’re gonna do something special for Daddy, okay. And you’ll gonna help me make Daddy say yes, alright?” 

Harry went to the ring’s hiding place, the blue espadrilles that was safely concealed inside his shoe bag which he strategically placed the bottom, completely obscured by his boots and sandals. As his fingers got in the small compartment of his shoe bag, he found it zipped open with no content in it. He started to panic, thinking that somebody might’ve been in their room and found the ring, stole it, probably pawned it somewhere where it can never be found again. Tears start prickling his eyes, a lone tear dropping on his cheek. Chewie sensing his mental state at the moment, began squirming in his arms.

“Oh, no, no.. Fuck, this can’t be happening?”

He rummaged further into the shoe bag, hoping he could still find the ring, probably lodged in the bag. Harry took out all of his shoes and shook them one by one, and still nothing. His sadness of losing the ring morphed into anger as his gaze looks on the pile of mess in front of him. Harry stood up, forgetting to put any shoes on him and stomping right out of the door. He was about to slam it hard when he noticed small lanterns in front of their bungalow, somewhat forming a pathway to somewhere. Harry still had Chewie in his arms, his mouth agape as he tries to follow the path of lights on the ground with his eyes. It seemed to go on for a few yards, some high plants making it impossible for him to know where the rows of lanterns will end. It took him a few yards before his feet brought him a feet in front of a huge gazebo where Louis was standing, his back turned away from him. It was as if he was just there...waiting. Chewie yelped breaking the tranquility of the air. Louis shifted, his body turning to the sound. As Louis’ body move, Harry noticed a blue collar in his hand with an identifiable charm in front of it. Harry began shaking, the tears that he desperately tried stopping moments ago, starts escaping his eyes. Chewie began licking the tears off from his face, kissing his jaw with her nose as his tears began to pour out uncontrollably from him. 

“What the fuck is going on, Louis?”

“You think,” as Louis slowly walked towards them, “that you can keep this secret from me?” 

Harry all but sobs now, his eyes squeezing shut as he felt Louis’ hands on his face. He felt gentle hands wiping his cheeks, soft kisses planting on his closed lids, nose and cheeks. Harry heard a clicking sound, like a lock snapping shut. Louis brought one of his hands to Chewie’s neck and he felt the dog collar on her, the charm heavy like there is something placed inside of it.

“Louis.. “ he hiccuped.

“Baby, open your eyes.”

“Lou.. “ Harry eventually opened his eyes, his sight blurry with his unshed tears. “What... when… how?”

“I told you, babe. That you can never hide anything from me.” Louis gently pries Chewie from his arms and placed her on his chest. She all but melted in his arms as Louis wounds one of his arms around his shoulder. “You honestly think I didn’t plan anything for us on this trip as well? You wound me, Harold.”

“Lou..” 

“Babe, look around you. We’ve got our family with us, even our friends” His eyes scans around the open space, their family, the boys all gathered around them. “Don’t cry, love. You think you can walk with me to the gazebo?”

“Why?”

“You’re gonna propose, dummy. What else?”

“Louis, what the fuck?”

“Harry!” he heard Gemma shout from behind Niall. “You're ruining the moment. Go fucking propose already.”

Louis snickered beside him gently leading him to the gazebo, his bare feet voluntarily following every step Louis makes. He said out loud, “Alright everyone, since Harry is not up to it… ” He bended down on one knee, and placed Chewie on the ground. “Honey, I won’t be needing you tonight, your Papa may have asked for your help with his plan, but I’ve got a few friends who’ll help me with this.” 

Through the shadows, two men emerged from the crowd of people. Harry gasped, his hand covering his quivering mouth, Jason and Sean strumming familiar chords from their acoustic guitars, playing one of his and Louis favorite song. They walked slowly to the gazebo, soft music echoing through the night. Harry knows the lyrics by heart, his mind already singing even before Jason utters the first words. 

  
  


_Find me here, and speak to me_

_I want to feel you, I need to hear you_

_You are the light, that's leading me_

_To the place where I find peace again._

_You are the strength that keeps me walking_

_You are the hope that keeps me trusting_

_You are the life to my soul_

_You are my purpose, you're everything._

  
  


Louis looked at him, his blue eyes striking yet soft, so very soft tonight. It paralyzed Harry for a moment, small electricity crawling under his skin, warming him keeping him safe, comfortable, familiar, like he’s home.

  
  


_And how can I stand here with you?_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me, how could it be?_

_Any better than this?_

_You calm the storms, and you give me rest_

_You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fold_

_You steal my heart, and you take my breath away_

_Would you take me in? take me deeper now._

  
  


He notices Louis pulling a box out from his pockets, a similar blue velvet box that he had purposely left in their home a few days ago. Louis opened the box revealing a white gold ring with intricate links in bold alternating pattern.“Harry, the moment I met you four years ago at that Script concert, I knew there was something special about you. It was months until I realized that it was you I was looking for.” 

  
  


_And how can I stand here with you?_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me, how could it be?_

_Any better than this?_

_And how can I stand here with you?_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me, how could it be?_

_Any better than this?_

_'Cause you're all I want, you're all I need_

_You're everything, everything_

_You're all I want, you're all I need_

_You're everything, everything._

  
  


“That night when you accidentally puked on me shoes, I couldn't get you out of my mind. This lanky, curly haired boy, who got so drunk that he got blue stuff all over my white converse. Everyday you keep me happy, every second spent with you. I thank the Gods for bringing you to me. My unfortunate happenstance. ” 

  
  


_You're all I want, you're all I need_

_You're everything, everything_

_You're all I want, you're all I need_

_Everything, Everything_

_And how can I stand here with you?_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me, how could it be?_

_Any better, any better than this?_

  
  


“Harry, on this night, in front of all the people that we love, I will ask you this question that I've longed to ask since the moment I knew you were my soulmate.” Louis placed the ring in between his right thumb and index finger, and lifted his hands towards him, “Harry Edward Styles, will you be my husband?”

“Oh my god, Louis,” Harry knelt down in front of Louis, taking his face with his hands, “Yes, Yes.” kissing Louis on the mouth, “Of course yes, my love.” he murmurs then kissed Louis again, deeper this time amidst the loud cheers around them.

Louis nudged his fingers to his chin, “Do you not want to take the ring?”

“I would rather take you, but yeah sure, why not. If that’s what you want.”

“You fucking tosser, just take the damn ring.”

“Not until…” Harry checked for their little rambunctious little baby then whistled for her. Chewie came strutting towards them immediately when Lottie placed her on the ground. She rested her paws on his lap, her head looking at their faces alternately. “Honey, I think it’s time I get the ring out from its cage.” Harry opens the clasp of the locket, bringing out a silver chain with multiple small diamonds that formed a T design on its surface. “You have to take mine as well. You gonna marry me, beautiful?”

“Yes, I’m going to marry the fuck out of you, Styles.” 

  
  


_Would you tell me, how could it be?_

_Any better than this?_

  
  


As the last chords of the song permeates the air between them, Harry mutters, “There’s definitely nothing better than this. Everything with you Louis is better.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you, thank you to the reluctant betas of my fic, flo, bernie, sea and adelina. honeslty, my mind was all over the place, and i'm such a big procrastinator, these ladies cheered me on to continue writing this. 
> 
> the song in the last scene is EVERYTHING by Lifehouse.
> 
> lastly, to my person, A. all these words are always for you.


End file.
